The present invention concerns peripheral objects for portable contactless objects such as smart cards, and particularly a contactless peripheral display device.
Portable objects, such as smart cards, contact or contactless type, are currently widely used in numerous applications. It generally entails ISO format cards which are coupled to readers, by which they are remotely supplied, that is, by which they receive energy in the form of a magnetic field and with which they communicate. In the transport sector, such systems, called remote toll cards, have been developed by all of motorway operators in order to provide users with subscription possibilities and to simplify toll booth payment operations. Users of such systems present the cards in front of readers which are installed in the toll booths. Communication thus occurs between the card and the reader. This communication enables user recognition and the corresponding sum to be deducted from the customer""s account at the toll booth.
In public transport sectors, equivalent means have also be implemented in the form of ISO cards or in a smaller format such as tickets. Users present the subscription cards in front of readers in order to gain access to public transport. The communication which is established between the card and the reader enables user recognition and the cost of the trip to be deducted from the user""s account.
These means have also been developed as a means of payment. This is the case, for example, of the electronic wallet. The latter can be used to pay for small purchases in shops. It consists of a smart card. This card is credited with money in a special distributor. The user may thus use the card to pay for purchases by presenting it in front of a reader. The communication established between the card and the reader debits the sum corresponding to the purchase from the card.
Many companies has also developed identification means for their personnel using contactless smart cards. Passing the card in front of a reader allows the cardholder to be identified, who is then granted or refused access to a controlled zone. The same card can also be used by employees to xe2x80x9cpunch inxe2x80x9d.
These various applications have given rise to the need of a peripheral display device on the card, enabling the user to retrieve the information contained in the chip, such as the available balance remaining after a transaction in the case of an electronic wallet or the number of trips still available on a transport card or even the number of hours worked, or the authorization or refusal to access areas reserved for the employees of a company. Such a peripheral device may also be used to supply the user with more technical information about the card""s operation.
The solution commonly used is the integration of a liquid crystal display in the reader which informs the user that communication has been properly established and displays the information related to the communication. However, the drawback of having a display unit built into the reader is that the user can gain access to the information by passing the card in front of the reader. While this is not a problem in the case of an identification card, it becomes much more problematic in the case of an electric wallet or transport card. The user would like to be able to regularly consult his/her balance without having to find a payment terminal just to read the card.
A solution currently exists which entails the use of an additional badge which plays the role of both a card reader and display unit. It is in fact a sort of case in which the card is inserted. The reader provides power to the card by direct contact, which enables communication to take place between the card and the case. The information is then displayed on the screen of the case. The latter is used particularly for electronic wallet cards and allows the balance remaining on the card to be consulted at all times. The major drawback of these badges is their size. The cases are dimensioned to receive an ISO smart card. As such, contrary to a smart card, they cannot be carried in a wallet and must be carried in a pocket or purse.
Another drawback is that they require an internal power source. This power source is typically a battery which enables the case to read and display the information stored in the card. The power source must thus be renewed once it is depleted.
The purpose of the invention is to mitigate these drawbacks by supplying a contactless peripheral display for contactless portable objects, such as a smart card, having the capacity to display the information sent by the portable object reader or by the portable object itself, for a period of time long enough so that the user can consult it at all times, even when the portable object is not in the proximity of the reader, this display requiring only a small amount of energy to operate, or even no energy whatsoever.
The present invention concerns a peripheral display device for a contactless portable object such as a smart card enabling information associated with the use of this portable object to be displayed. This peripheral device includes at least one chip, a display means and a means for receiving energy and information, not connected by an ohmic contact to the portable object. This receiving means is a flat coil which plays the role of the secondary of a transformer, the primary of which is formed by the antenna of the portable object, when the latter receives energy and information from a portable object reader via electromagnetic coupling.
According to a special embodiment of the invention, this peripheral display device can be separated from the contactless object and features a bistable liquid crystal display screen.